Shrunken Heads

[caffinatedangel]

Leather tanned with the pulp of Amazon ferns and rainforest herbs.

In imp: Really... tropical to me. Wet, green, almost fruity. I love it.

Wet on skin: About the same as the imp, but the leather notes start to perk. It's wet leather. raw leather, fresh. I really love it. The green of amazon is making it wild and unique

Dry: Leather perks up. There's something similar to both Tempest and Robotic Scarab (random, I know.) Metallic? So wet it has that sheen? I'm not sure. Robotic Scarab has a leather note, but Tempest? o.o weird mind.

Drier: I think I've figured it out. Tempest, to me = what my mom smelled like on sunday mornings. Shrunken heads = what my dad smelled like. Aftershave, over-steamed bathrooms, and some kind of leathery cologne.

I admit, if I were to smell this on a passing male I'd drool for a few seconds. (Nothing like Dee, though) but then it would slip my mind.

As it gets drier the leather gets drier. The herbs are certainly there for me, adding an edge to the leather and keeping a primal, wild feel to it. Exotic in a bug-bit way (versus cleopatra way).

It's nice, but not nice enough to wear often. It's unique to me. Very "perfumey" and not my fav kind of scent. (I know, it's a perfume, what do I expect? lol).

Overall wrapup: Leather, man, musky bug-bitten exploits. Shrunken heads, on the dot. Edited August 24, 2008 by Shollin

[Czarina]

In the bottle: bitter herbs.

Wet: leather and . . . evergreens? Doesn't seem very Amazonian to me.

Drydown: the bitterness subsides and I can smell more of the fern note. The leather note turns sweeter and this is almost powdery on me. It's still on the masculine end of scents I am willing to wear.

 

Low throw and wearlength.

 

I was expecting this to be disgusting. It isnt', but I'm not falling madly in love with it, either. Maybe it will age well...

[tinyvulture]

dry, dusty leather, with ferns and other plant life. my grandmother had ferns and this note is dead-on -- very distinctive. the combination of leather with crisp green notes is always a good thing on a man, i feel. still, it’s not overly masculine. i’d wear it too, although not all of the time. there’s something about it that wakes you up when you sniff it -- i suppose it's the herbal greenery. refreshing, yet sexy and rugged.

[zankoku_zen]

On me, this is spicy, cinnamon leather. It's got an almost preserved quality to the leather smell. Smoky, almost.

 

Yup, not for me.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Colourless oil. Slick leather, almost sharply so - not the old, weathered sort - and bright, slightly astringent herbs and greenery.

 

Wet: Much lighter and a bit softer, too. The leather is older, smoother, and the herbs are still medicinal and slightly mentholic but less bitingly so. The fern is distinct, and smells somewhere between grass and ivy.

 

Dry: Yup, this is a nice leather on the skin, masculine, sexy. Manly but not brash. The fern is a lovely fresh, green note that gives this an almost cologney feel over the leather, but the herbs are turning a bit soapy.

 

Later: The fern has faded and the herbs and leather have amped, making this firmly masculine. Something medicinal - maybe tea trea oil - amongst the herbs, maybe some bay too?

 

Summary: Deep, smooth, masculine leather and sharp, astringent, herbal greenery - tea tree, bay, and very faint grassy fern. The fading of the fern and amping of the herbs makes this rather harsh. Good throw and lasting power.

[femmefatale]

At first this is a very sharp leather. As it dries though, it begins to soften a bit and it takes on a greener quality. It reminds me of this room in my grandparents' old house that had my grandfather's old leather furniture, lots of books, and a ton of plants.

I really like this and would love to get a bottle.

[aquazoo]

A really nice leather. Warm and slightly smoky — this is like walking into a really posh leather or shoe store. Remember back when shoe stores smelled like leather? It's got a little spice, too. Wow. I now understand the expression, "Must hoard shrunken heads."

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Deep leather and herbs with a touch of mint.

 

Immediately on skin: The leather in this is very evident, but also very realistic. It reminds me of the booths that sell leather goods at county and state fairs. It’s like sun-warmed, dry leather. But then there’s also the strong, dry green-ness of this scent. It’s a sharper green note… something reminiscent of fir or eucalyptus mixed with green herbs.

 

After a little while: The leather overpowers the green notes a little as this settles. It’s dry and warm, very unisex, and so nicely blended.

 

Overall Impressions: This doesn’t smell like a perfume… it smells like a place. Like maybe a tent somewhere in the woods on a warm day with leather goods hanging about and the scent of the fir trees or herby greenery all around. It’s on the unisex side, but to me leather usually smells more masculine. It’s so rich and lifelike… I would never wear this, as it’s totally not my style, but I love sniffing it.

[Saya]

In the Imp

This has a very herbal smell, I’m also getting pine. So far this smells like something you’d clean your bathroom with.

 

On My Skin

This is a very green scent, herbs, pine trees but so far no leather. It still smells like a cleaner to me. I’m not digging this one so far. I’ll give it an hour to work its magic, if it doesn’t turn into something good I’ll scrub it off.

 

After a Bit

Leather and pine. This is a tad too masculine for my liking. Off to swaps!

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent - 1 Throw - 3.5 Longevity – 3

Overall (not an average) – 2

 

Final thoughts

Not for me, pine scents seldom work for my chemistry.

[forspecial_plate]

When I first tried this, it was so odd that I put it away and sort of forgot about it for a few months. I recently tried it again and realized that I really like it.

 

I get absolutely no leather, whatsoever, which is why I was so puzzled when I first put it on. What I mostly smell is vetiver, dry and herbal, a little on the green side. It reminds me a lot of Devil's Claw. Then much later, it smells like sandalwood. I know, totally weird and not matching the description (or other reviews for that matter), but that's what my nose is telling me. And as it turns out, it's a scent I really like, so it was a happy surprise.

[rayvn1]

Leather and herbs it is. Similar to Hand of Glory, but instead of that one's cracked and dried, yellow leather - this one is a more supple, brown version if that makes sense. The herbs are a fresh, clear note that accompanies the warm leather very nicely! I think I prefer this to HoG, although my husband swears he smells pine in it and that's his death-by-perfume-allergy note. Guess I'll be wearing this one when he's not home

[yeahbutnobut]

Shrunken Heads

 

In the imp: spicy leather with herbal accents.

Wet on skin: mmm, this is a nice leather, like the one in Hand of Glory.

Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. The leather is strong and pungent, hovering somewhere between the aged leather of the likes of Dee and Hand of Glory, the black, slick De Sade leather, and with a hint of the strong rawhide of Quincy Morris. In here, I also smell the fresh greenness of the ferns, a rich scent of greenery which is mossy and herbal, warm and damp, not a fresh grassy dampness but a dense jungle canopy, with hints of spices and smoke.

After a while: the spices, herbs and ferns fade and this turns into pure black leather. Now this smells like the black ‘kinky’ leather from De Sade and Loviatar…the kind of leather that my skin amps and which drowns out all other notes. However, this isn’t going into the burnt/rubbery stage that those leather notes sometimes get to, it’s softer, and it still has that spiciness to it.

Verdict: of the ‘shiny black leather’ scents I’ve tried, this one is really nice. I prefer the worn, old, bookish leather to the shiny black variety (which I smell in here-I was expecting something a little more raw, I admit), as that kind of leather tends to amp on me. And it does so here-but I actually don’t mind it. it has a scent reminiscent of new shoes, and I quite like that! It doesn’t go into the slightly burnt/asphalt stage I get with some ‘new leather’ scents. the herbs are really interesting, they add a nice green scent, somewhere between dry herbs and wet grassy/leafy mush, but at times I also smell something like incense or smoke to it. it gets very, very leathery at drydown, almost like De Sade or Spanked, but there’s a cosy quality to it, like the smell of a leather jacket. But I wish the herbs and ferns stuck around. I’m unsure as to whether I’ll keep this for now…I like it, but will I wear it much?

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? not sure yet.

If you like this, try: De Sade, Loviatar, Nanny Ashtoreth, Pirate Moon, Black Tower

[Andrea912]

Very manly. Kind of soapy. A bit reminiscent of a leather cowboy attire store.

[Ishianti]

I was very reluctant to try this one at first, sometimes the leather notes don't work for me. But this is old aged leather, well worn and warm, pleasant, then comes the zest of greenery and combines to become something incredible, almost spicy and warm. I couldn't stop sniffing myself! I could work for men or women, I was very very pleased that I went for the bottle.

[impolight]

:::SHRUNKEN HEADS:::

 

This was anticipation in both barrels; Leather and Carnival Diabolique!

From the open bottle:

 

*swoon*

 

Respect for the devastating, talent-ridden Lab is mandatory!

Shrunken Heads is crazy-good!

The Leather does not disappoint in the slightest!

On the contrary, this Leather has powerful medicine! Eek!

Not only are there Ferns of the Amazon persuasion in this, but swaying, nipple-high, wind-toussled grasses that you really don't want to look too closely at, for fear of seeing a blowgun pointed in your direction.

Something in Shrunken Heads glistens too...

This could be tropical mist...

This could be blossoms and foliage composting on the Rainforest floor...

This could be expertly trained, gaily coloured Poison Arrow frogs, cheerfully hopping right alongside you and all of creation until they are bid, 'come hither, that thou mayest tip yon dart, reserved especially for blundering tourist-demon... We need new heads'...

This is as good as it is creepy and exciting!

On the Skin: Oh, bliss! Shrunken Heads does not merely amp, but it TRICKLES from the skin!

It's fascinating how this blend can project Leather so acutely, while simultaneously emphasizing equatorial humidity! Keen!

Something tropically sweet that begins to emerge, emphasizing the herbal greenery; one can practically see the acai palms, heavily laden with their purply bounty!

 

(((NONSEQUITIR!)))

 

For some reason, the cerebral-soundtrack wants to incongruously showcase Tom Waits in all his glory... O_o.

 

Shrunken Heads is fanfreakintabulous! This plagues obsessive/compulsive proclivities, with particular emphasis on the Wünderkammer... There is a sudden revelation here that the collection, in it's entirety, must be gathered together in one place, an altar constructed in it's honor, and a facial tattoo as a rite of passage for a consecrated devotee.

Shrunken Heads is a glorious, many-splendored thing to experience in one's lifetime...There will be tears of gratitude,

oh, yes...

The Leather in Shrunken Heads is also evocative of a time when it would have been not too awfully difficult to find a black pair of those knee-high moccasins with the fringes around the top, acid-washed, black jeans with the knees blown out, and a black, sleeveless "Appetite for Destruction" Tee shirt, and feathered bangs...

And one could cop a Hell of a buzz for $5... Ah, memories of whimsical youth!

Shrunken Heads is a fantastic fragrance. This could be worn with equal effect by Him or Her; On Him, Shrunken Heads would be bookish rogue with an exotic accent, while on Her, Shrunken Heads would possess a wild-woman halo of kinky-curled hair, tanned musculature, and the luminous, green eyes of a tigress.

Powerful magic!

5.5 out of 5!!!

[surlygurl]

This was my random imp/decant grab this afternoon before my workout. It is fairly aged, and I like it much better now than when fresh!

 

This starts off as leather - strong leather. As it dries down / warms up, the leather smooths out and becomes... pliable. It's old worn leather, but the herbs (which I don't smell) give it a juicyness. Very hard to describe. It reminds me of a cute anthropologist circa 1875 - adventuresome & rugged, yet proper. It also makes me wonder what I'd look like with sideburns.....

 

Even tho I've showered & no longer smell like Shrunken Heads, just the memory makes me happy. Bottle worthy? No. Partial / multiple decant worthy? A-yup.

[ljaylh]

Hmm.. I acquired this decant via a swap.. I was curious to try Shrunken Heads, even though I knew there was a strong change it wouldn't work for me at all. I'm all about the leather, always, but in general.. ferns and herbs and other similar shrubbery type material is not my friend.

 

Ayup - I was right. I can smell the leather in this blend, but it's completely overtaken by the herbs and rainforest stuff. If I was ever to be wandering aimlessly in an Amazon rainforest, and discover a man who bathed in a rainforest stream and washed with fern leafs, this is how he would smell. In reality, Shrunken Heads ends up smelling like a green-y male aftershave/cologne.. not good on me, and not the type of man-smell that I like either. But if that's your type of thing, then you should definitely try it.. because it really is quite lovely in its own right. Just not for me

[Xanon]

I am really glad I picked up an imp of this before I went out an got a bottle.

 

In the imp: green and astringent, not getting any leather at all.

 

Wet: Oh there is the leather. And greenery! But wait... this is not smelling rain forest-ie to me...

 

Dry: I can place it now. This smells like Pais de la Canela - just swap out the cinnamon for leather.

 

Overall, this is not bad. I love leather, and this is a nice solid leather note. The greenery is what throws this for me. It is more evergreens to me than what I would associate with rain forest. Lovely, just not what I was expecting.

[Truelove]

Very interesting scent. Right out of the decant on my skin it smelled just like pine trees at christmas, very quickly died down to a almost cigarette smoke mens cologne smell. Smells like Polo when it dries down.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Leather can be a tricky note for me. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. And a lot of the time I'm indifferent. But I still had to try Shrunken Heads because it sounds like it could be pretty awesome.

 

First sniff:

 

Well, this isn't quite what I was expecting. I get very little leather from this, straight out of the bottle. Instead I get what has to be the jungle ferns. It's very green. Verdant and lush smelling. It reminds me, in some weird and indefinable way, of Mistletoe. Yeah, I don't get it, either.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Still very little leather. Mostly, this is really strong green plant life. And it's really nice! I don't know quite how to explain what the jungle ferns smell like other than to say that they're a very rich green. It's not a yellow-green and it's not a dark green. It's a bright, rich, emerald green sort of smell. It still reminds me of Mistletoe for some reason. Granted, Mistletoe has a piney sort of smell to it that Shrunken Heads is lacking, but if you took away the pine and snow notes from Mistletoe, it would smell an awful lot like the ferns in this. To me, anyway.

 

Dry down:

 

I finally get something that's probably the leather once Shrunken Heads dries down. It's similar to The Buggre Alle This Bible (again, to me, anyway) in that it has a similar, strange fruitiness to it. The ferns are still the dominant scent here, though. This one's very hard to describe. And very different than what I was anticipating. I'd call this gender neutral, but leaning strongly toward the masculine side. Luckily, I tend to prefer more masculine scents, so this works for me.

 

The bottom line:

 

Unique. Definitely unique. Very green. I like this.

[lookingglass]

I smelled this at the Mutter giftshop. I had juuuust seen real shrunken heads for the first time and then...sniffed this. It's what I'd imagine them to smell like, on top of what the Mutter really does smell like: dusty, yet supple leather, stuffed with herbs. Crrrreeeeeepy!

[Urpflanze]

This scent is unusual. Solid leather, no question. Unctuous mossy leather. Very evocative of the target occult curiosity.

 

I don't get any specific herb or green note - but the leather smell is a bit...off...as if it were strangely cured. It is rustic. DW very much likes it, thinks it evokes Dr. Livingstone or some rainforest expiditionary. Maybe some wood in there, maybe sandalwood. This is the first scent I genuinely love/hate as sometimes, for a reason obscure to me, it reminds me of fast food. The smell of grease and...bbq sauce or mayonnaise even? No... maybe not, maybe it just smells like odd preservatives. Weird. Not temporary and consistent from 2 trials. I think my nose-imagination is the culprit, not my skin. Something about this sickens and intrigues in fits.

 

I think it would require a feat of the spirit to overcome a distaste of the smell and own it - a harrowing hazard might produce the needed attitude to say, "Oh I have shrunken head juice on me again! [Chuckle, chuckle]." One would have to be a real adventurer. Or just really like tanned leather. That'll work too.

 

This one has good throw and lasts as long or longer than any I've tried (8 hours solid on even a small dab).

 

Highly recommended for the man (or lady too?) who really likes leather but wants an exotic leather.

[biocarolyn]

Damn this is strange. In a very good way. Wet this is super smoky, heavily green leather. As it sties, the smoke goes away and the green plant-y scent comes out. It starts to smell like leather And wet ferns. It is the oddest scent but somehow I can't stop sniffing my arm and I can't explain why. It smells good...odd, but good....

[cfrancesca]

I'm not sure why it took me so long to try this, I think the description might have thrown me off, or it could be the idea of shrunken heads has always kinda freaked me a little bit out so I stayed away, lol. Regardless, I am so, so glad I finally did because I found out it's an amazing leather scent. On me it's mostly this worn and weathered, tanned, delicious smelling leather with a soft well-blended background of pleasant musky herbs, smokey woods and soft fresh greenery. I find it surprisingly soft (although it has good throw) and very wearable leather. It's quickly become one of my favorite leather scents! (Note this review is from an aged bottle.)

[Monday]

Many thanks to the lovely Skygal for the tester!

 

Greenery, leather and snuffed candle. The snuffed candle takes over but the leather and greenery are still discernible in the background. This isn't really a morpher.

 

Old smoky leather surrounded by green, with a name like Shrunken Heads it's rather unsettling.